Yan Qingsang's words brought a slight nod from Huang'er as well. Her beautiful eyes gazed at
Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh. "Before I came to the Myriad Abyss Island, I had nothing but grievances against the Yan family. Especially that Elder Xi back then—swaggering about on my Sacred Peacock Mountain, spouting utter disrespect. At the time, I thought every last member of the Yan family was a scoundrel. Now it seems the Yan family certainly has its share of scoundrels, but there are also a few decent people. Like you, Yan Qingsang, and your grandfather, Elder
Hearing Jiang Chen say this, both Yan Qingsang and Huang'er breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
They knew that Jiang Chen had let go of his prejudice against the Yan family.
"Qingsang, I'm not in a position to say too much about the Yan family's affairs, but one thing I can say with certainty: the patriarch—when things are calm and the family faces no crisis, he can maintain the status quo well enough. But if you're counting on him to reverse the family's decline, that's absolutely not going to happen. His indecisive temperament could even doom the Yan family's future. Normally, given my standing, these aren't words I should be saying. But there are no outsiders here, and I don't want to hide my personal judgment. After all, now that I know you people, I do hope the Yan family prospers rather than continues to decline."
Yan Qingsang sighed. "There's nothing to be done about it. After the fall of our Supreme Ancestor, the Yan family's situation has been like a kite with a severed string—plummeting straight down."
Huang'er sat in silence as well.
After a moment's quiet, Yan Qingsang drew a deep breath. "Oh, right, brother—when do you plan to make your true identity public? Given your current situation, there doesn't seem to be much point in continuing to conceal anything. Your origin from the Human Domain isn't really all that sensitive here in the Myriad Abyss Island. The island doesn't reject people from the Human Domain that strongly."
Jiang Chen smiled. "I'll hold off for now, to avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, I stirred up quite a bit of trouble in Dongyan Island and offended quite a few powers. If they connect that to me at this point, it would just be asking for more complications."
It wasn't that Jiang Chen enjoyed hiding his identity—it was simply that right now, the alias of Shao Yuan suited him better than the name Jiang Chen.
Ling Bi'er's heart ached for her homeland. She missed her father. She missed her sister.
Ever since learning that they were safe, her longing had only deepened. If not for the demands of the current situation, she would have thrown everything aside and left the Myriad Abyss Island behind, returning to the Human Domain, returning to the Dan Qian Palace, to reunite with her father and sister and never be separated again.
In Ling Bi'er's heart, she had never sought wealth or glory. She did not care about any princess title.
All she wanted was a simple, quiet life—the kind she had known at the Dan Qian Palace, where the years passed gently and peacefully. That was the life she truly desired.
"Returning to the Human Domain will probably take some time yet. At the very least, I need to accomplish two things first."
"Which two?" Yan Qingsang asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"First, destroy the Xiahou family and eliminate every possible future threat to Huang'er. Second, find the legacy of the Myriad Spirits Heaven-Sealing Grand Formation and reactivate it to seal the Demon race."
"The Demon race?" Yan Qingsang was taken aback. As a descendant of the Myriad Abyss Island, his knowledge of the Demon race was limited to hearsay and rumor.
On the Myriad Abyss Island, the Demon race was a forbidden topic. The entire Human Domain—and indeed the main continent of the
So when Yan Qingsang heard the word "Demon race," it was something entirely novel to him.
Jiang Chen let out a cold snort. "Does the Myriad Abyss Island not know of the Demon race?"
"Oh, we know of them, but only by reputation. We don't actually know what manner of race they truly are?"
"The Demon race?" Jiang Chen sighed softly. "They are a race capable of destroying the Divine Abyss Continent entirely. If they ever conquer the main continent, it is only a matter of time before they reach the Myriad Abyss Island, subjugate it, and bring every corner of the Divine Abyss Continent under Demon dominion. When that happens, all of us—every last one—will become slaves to the Demon race. Submit and prosper, or resist and perish."
The Demon race was an absolute nightmare for every major race of the Divine Abyss Continent.
"Are they really that powerful?" Yan Qingsang stared in astonishment.
"Far more powerful than anything I've described. You here on the Myriad Abyss Island—" Jiang Chen was about to say more.
But Huang'er cut in with a bitter smile. "Brother Chen, you needn't speak of the ancient secrets of the Myriad Abyss Island. That is an absolute taboo here. No one will acknowledge that they are descendants of the ancient deserters. The historical records of the Myriad Abyss Island do not record events that way."
The people of the Myriad Abyss Island were, in a sense, deceiving themselves. Because they felt shame over what had happened, they had chosen to forget.
"Oh, by the way—do you know whether any of the great powers on the Myriad Abyss Island are particularly skilled in the art of formations?"
Jiang Chen changed the subject.
In the ancient era, the Myriad Spirits Heaven-Sealing Grand Formation had not been constructed by any single power alone. It had been set up and activated by several great forces working together.
Jiang Chen naturally knew the portion that the Danxiao Ancient Sect had held. But the parts managed by the Dizang Gate and the other powers—he had no knowledge of them. At the very least, he wanted to find the formation diagram. Even if he knew nothing about the formation's operational mechanisms or characteristics, having a diagram would allow him to simulate and deduce its workings.
The greatest tragedy right now was that Jiang Chen had no leads whatsoever.
That was why he wanted to ask around.
"A great power particularly skilled in formations? You'd have to speak of the Nine Depths Divine Kingdom. It's said that the Nine Depths Sacred Ground of the Nine Depths Divine Kingdom is the most difficult place to navigate and the most labyrinthine location in the entire Myriad Abyss Island. Countless powerhouses who enter that sacred ground lose their bearings and cannot find their way out."
"The Nine Depths Divine Kingdom?" Jiang Chen nodded. "I'll make note of that."